Contact Dermatitis due to Tattoo Ink in Two Young Togolese Women

Pseudo tattoo is the application of pigmentogen substance on the skin according to pre-drawn shapes for aesthetic purposes. The most common ink used in skin tattoo is henna; however, other kind of inks is also used to carry out this type of tattoo. The use of tattoo inks could be the cause of various skin reactions. We report two cases of contact dermatitis following use of pseudo tattoo ink in two patients. These two patients are not members of the same family, but the same tattoo ink was used in both cases. The patch tests performed in both cases were positive for nickel sulphate 5%. Analysis of the sample of the ink noted the presence of a substantial amount of nickel. The outcome was favourable in both cases under treatment with a cream of betamethasone dipropionate.